


The Heart Aims True

by SerStolas



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Archery, Fantasy AU, Fluff, M/M, Robin Hood Inspired AU, Swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerStolas/pseuds/SerStolas
Summary: Finn is a First Order Guard in the city of Orowood.  While he feels he owes the Order his life for raising him, he soon discovers that you can ignore injustice for only so long...A Robin Hood inspired AU for SWWA Gift Exchange Week 2017 for the brillant QianLan / @cha-llamala on tumblr. I hope you enjoy QianLan!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [QianLan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QianLan/gifts).



> Star Wars belongs to LucasArts/Disney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FN finds he cannot ignore the corruption the city of Orowood any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts.

The country of Coruscant was suffering.

As FN and his fellow city guard Slip patrolled the dirty streets of Orowood, he could see suffering in the eyes of the townsmen and women they passed. Hunger clung to many citizens like a shroud, with dark circles on their faces like bruises and sunken in eyes, their gaunt frames passing like ghosts around the guards.

FN heard the sound of a child wailing somewhere up ahead, and then saw a small girl, no older than two or three, wandering aimlessly down the lane, dressed in the same dull rags as so many others in the town. Through his helm his eyes flickered towards Slip, but the other man only seemed to gaze over the child. They'd been taught since childhood themselves to ignore pain and suffering, to ignore anything but their duty to Prince Kylo and the Sheriff of Orowood.

FN hated every moment of it, but this was the only life he'd ever known. He'd been told over and over that were it not for the kindness of the Sheriff of Orowood, he would have starved to death himself. He owed his very essence to the Sheriff and the Prince. How could he do but what he was ordered to?

But something in his heart told him it was wrong.

He heard the huff of a familiar horse, and hoof beats rattling down the street as the Sheriff of Orowood himself, Sheriff Hux, came careening down the road. He and Slip moved to step to the side, knowing that the Sheriff would not be looking for someone as lowly as they on the road and would merely barrel onward.

The Sheriff, FN was beginning to reflect, cared little for the common people.

FN glanced up when he heard a soft hiss, as a stranger barely managed to pull the little girl out of Hux's way. Hux rode on, paying not attention to the now minor commotion on the road, but FN was watching, and he saw a fierce looking young woman, barely concealed hatred in her eyes as she glared after Hux before soothing the frightened girl.

Slip hissed softly at him. “Don't pay that much attention, or you will draw attention to her,” he told FN. “Everyone hates the Sheriff, even us, but we owe him our lives.”

How much did they really owe the Sheriff, though? How many years of service, FN wondered, as he and Slip turned back the other way and headed towards the castle, where the Sheriff would surely be calling a meeting of the guards. Hux had been in a hurry, which meant someone or something had caught his attention.

FN let out a sigh of relief behind his helm, in some ways grateful for the anonymity it gave him. He knew it was odd for town and castle guards to wear full face helms, from visits of other nobles and the fact that their guards were all bare faced, even under helmets. The guards of Orowood wore helms, according to Guard Captain Phasma, because it made them a more cohesive unit, and reminded them that they were one of many, not individuals.

That way of thinking was another thing FN hated. Each child in the Sheriff's orphanage had been given a two letter designation that they were called by, not names, but some, like Slip, or Zeros, acquired them. FN never had.

Guard Captain Phasma, though, told FN it was best he did not have a nickname, he was destined for greater things. But if those greater things further oppressed the people of Orowood, Finn was not sure he wanted any part of it.

As he and Slip reached Orowood Castle, they both could not ignore the commotion in the center of the courtyard as they and other guards gathered.

There stood Sheriff Hux with Guard Captain Phasma and, worse, Prince Kylo Ren. Hux and Ren were glaring at a tanned man clad in a rust colored tunic and trousers with a fierce look on his face, with Phasma looking on from behind her silvery helm. Several guards held the man pressed to the ground with the edge of their halberds. Even with those figures glaring, the urchin glared back at Ren, intimidated.

“You will tell me the camp location, now!” Ren was shouting, his eyes burning dark with fury. Hux looked as if he wanted to restrain the Prince and was only barely managing to keep himself from doing so.

“The Resistance will not be intimated by you!” the man replied in an edged tone. “We will not bow to a false Prince.”

“I AM THE PRINCE OF CORUSCANT!” the Prince yelled in a voice that echoed through the courtyard, and FN was certain some guards flinched within their helms. The shouting Prince only service to show FN more how wrong things were here. 

Ren spun around, his red and black cape swirling behind him. “Imprison him! A few days in the cell without food will loosen his tongue.”

Two of the guards surrounding the man snapped their halberds back and handed them to fellow guards, before roughly dragging the man away and towards the Sheriff's jail cells.

The Resistance. FN had heard tales of them. A small group of outlaws that stood against the reign of evil Prince Kylo Ren, and swore their allegiance to his supposed lost uncle, King Luke Skywalker. 

The Resistance, who the people of Orowood spoke of in hushed tones of reverence.

“You there, FN!” 

He snapped to attention when he heard Guard Captain Phasma's voice.

“What is your report of Orowood today?” Phasma demanded of him.

“Same as always, Ma'am,” FN replied in the most monotone voice he could, knowing what was expected of him. 

“No whispers or unusual incidents?” Phasma demanded.

FN thought of the young woman glaring after Hux, but he should his head. “No Ma'am,” he replied with more confidence than he felt.

Phasma nodded. “Report for jail duty,” she informed him. “If you perform well here, perhaps there is more in your future.”

FN saluted and then moved towards the jail, a plan already formulating in his mind.

He had to wait a few hours longer than he had anticipating, until near the end of a shift change when he knew the other guards might be more lax, before he could approach the prisoner's cell. Quietly, he fished the key he had stolen off his belt, and unlocked the cell.

The man in the rust colored tunic and trousers looked at him suspiciously as FN entered the cell.

“Do what I tell you, and I'll get you out of here,” he told the man, seeing now his lovely brown eyes and curls. It was so rarely he got to look at the bare face of anyone, he realized.

“How can I trust you?” the man hissed softly, in a low tone so that he didn't attract unwanted attention.

FN sighed and removed his helm, revealing his dark skin in the torch light. “This is a rescue,” he told the other man. “What is going on here is wrong and I want out.”

“And you need somewhere to go?” the man replied, understanding dawning in his brown eyes.

“Yes.”

“Then get me out of here, and I'll get you to the Resistance,” the man told him.

FN returned his helm to his head and took the man by the arm, guiding him out of the cell. As they passed two other guards, FN said officially, “The Prince wants the prisoner.”

The other guards merely nodded and FN lead the man through the jail, but then he turned down a little used corridor, and towards a back entrance he knew of, one that lay on the outer edge of the castle, and would allow them to escape into the forest.

FN was a little surprised that they met with little resistance as he gestured the man to go down the set of stairs that lead to the tunnel that went under the castle walls.

“We have to hurry. Eventually they'll discover you missing, and they'll pursue us,” FN told him as he carefully shut the door behind them to the passageway. They were now in a carefully lined brick passage, and there were still some bricks, left over from repairs, he thought, on the ground, along with bags of mortar. Quickly he removed his helmet then shoved the bricks and bags against the door to block it.

The other man seemed to recognize what he was doing and moved to help, pausing long enough for Finn to undo his wrist manacles.

“What's your name?” the man asked as Finn grabbed a torch from a nearby bracket and began to lead the way down the passageway.

“FN,” FN replied absently, carefully leading the way, mentally calculating how long the passage would be before they reached the cavern that would lead out to the river.  
“FN,” the curly haired man shook his head. “That's not a name. How about I call you Finn?”

FN tilted his head a moment, testing the name on his tongue. “Finn...yeah, I like it.”

“Good. Well then, Finn, my name is Poe Dameron, best Archer in the Resistance.”

Finn knew that name. Poe Dameron was a legend among the citizens of Orowood. 

“Do you really think,” Finn asked after a short time, “That the Resistance can overthrow the Prince?”

“Anything is possible if enough people put their minds to it,” Poe replied firmly. 

Poe paused as they reached the end of the brick tunnel that lead into a more natural looking cavern and gave Finn a questioning look. Finn nodded, stepping from brick paved path into stone cavern. “Just a little further and we'll be by the river, at the edge of D'Qar Forest.”

Poe grinned, “I've got friends in D'Qar.”

Finn glanced cautiously at the other man. “The Resistance?” he asked at last.

“Yeah,” Poe replied. “Two particular friends of mine should be waiting for us.” 

As Finn thought rapidly as he lead the way through the cave. By choosing to free Poe and help him escape the Order, Finn's time with the Order was done. Once they discovered what he'd done, they would no doubt put a price on his head, just as they had put a bounty on many members of the Resistance.

Finn was torn. Some part of him thought he should follow Poe to the Resistance camp, meet them, fight back against the Order, but the other part of him was frightened. He'd seen the terror the Order had wrought, he knew they had executed people for standing against them before. He didn't know how to voice these thoughts to Poe, or anyone else, right now.

“Daylight!” Poe exclaimed, sighing in relief as they neared the entrance to the cavern. “My friends should be watching just inside the Forest.”

“Then lead on,” Finn replied with more confidence than he felt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn meets some of Poe's Resistance friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to LucasArts/Disney

They stepped out into dappled sunlight, a wide river between them and the edge of the D'Qar Forest, which seemed to go on forever. The river was low enough here to wade across, and Poe did not hesitate to wade in and move towards freedom.

Finn stood on the river's edge, his mind whirling as he watched Poe reach the other side. Poe glanced questioningly over his shoulder then at Finn. Finn took a deep breath, and began to cross the river. The look of relief on Poe's features warmed Finn somewhere in his chest, and he chose not to examine that feeling too closely at this juncture.

This time, Finn followed Poe, moving beyond the treeline and deeper into the D'Qar Forest. Finn's breastplate creaked as he walked and he paused, glancing at Poe. “Help me out of this thing.”

Within a few minutes, they'd divested Finn of his plate, leaving him in a chainmail shirt over his gambeson and clothing. Finn sighed in relief at the literal weight lifted from his shoulders. “So who are your friends?” Finn inquired as he glanced at Poe.

Poe was about to answer when they heard a branch crack, and Finn suddenly found himself with his arms full of wiry, red haired child. He blinked at the dark eyed child, who blinked back at him and scowled ferociously. “What'd you do to Poe?” the kid demanded. 

“Easy Bee, I'm right here,” Poe said with a laugh. “This is Finn, he helped me escape the Sheriff and Ren.”

The kid twisted in Finn's arms as Finn stared at the child, still feeling a bit confused. He looked intently at Finn and then nodded. “I guess you're alright then.”

“Where's Rey, Bee?” Poe asked.

Bee jumped down out of Finn's arms, leaving the former guard looking confused at the urchin, who he guessed was no older than eight or nine. “She's up there,” Bee said, pointing at the tree tops.

Poe smiled a bit indulgently and glanced up at the trees. “You can come out now, Rey.”

From a branch high above them, Finn saw a young woman emerge cautiously. 

He recognized her as the woman who'd helped the young girl earlier that day. He stared for a long moment as she jumped gracefully to the ground and eyed him suspiciously.

“So whose side are you on now?” she demanded bluntly of Finn.

Finn blinked rapidly. “Well, definitely not the Order's,” he replied at last.

“You going to help the Resistance?” she demanded.

He sighed, her question forcing the answer out of him he hadn't quite been ready to tell Poe. “I don't know.”

He saw Poe's expression fall a bit, and Finn felt a bit conflicted, eternally. He'd helped Poe out because it was the right thing to do, but now that he was away from the Order, he really wanted to get away, far away.

Rey was eyeing him with a fierce frown, but Bee elbowed Rey lightly. “Give him time to think,” the urchin told the woman. “He'll make the right decision eventually.”

That was perhaps the most faith anyone had put in him, aside from Poe.

“Er, can we get a bit further into the forest, anyway, and away from the Order?” Finn suggested. “We're still a bit close to the castle walls for my comfort.”

“He's right,” Poe and Rey both remarked, almost at once, and shared an amused glance, before Poe nodded. “The Resistane camp is still several hours walk from here. We may as well get somewhere safe to rest before we continue on.”

“Han's?” Rey asked, her eyes brightening.

“Who else?” Poe shrugged.

The two of them started chatting about the current state of the Resistance camp and mentioning various people that Finn didn't know as they started walking. Finn sighed and began to follow.

Bee fell into step beside Finn, glancing up at him with curious dark eyes as they walked beside him. “So you helped Poe escape?” Bee asked.

Finn wondered how a child so young had ended up in the Resistance, but then he knew that the Prince, the Sheriff, and the Order had made lives miserable for everyone. Perhaps Bee was the child of some other member of the Resistance.

Bee though seemed prenaturally able to read Finn's mind, though. “Nope, I'm an orphan,” Bee informed him as they walked several steps behind. “The Sheriff arrested my parents when they could not pay the Prince's taxes. They died of starvation on the Sheriff's prison.” The child's words were so matter of fact that it chilled Finn a bit.

He'd heard of prisoners who had died in prison after being arrested for fighting with the Order Guards, or for failing to pay taxes, or any number of other little things that did not deserve a death sentence. He'd always carefully ignored those rumors and stories, though, not wanting to earn the wrath of the Sheriff or Prince himself, and out of perhaps misplaced loyalty since he would have died of starvation or worse himself had it not been the the Order taking him in and raising him.

But here Bee walked beside him, advising him that all those rumors and stories were real. Here was a child, only eight or nine, the same age as some of the Guard trainees, who had lost their parents because of the Sheriff and Prince's cruelty.

He wanted to get away from the Order, and the threat they could pose to him, now that he'd escaped, but knowing that all those stories and rumors were true, could he, in good conscience? 

At first Finn thought the pounding he heard were the thoughts in his head, but then he realized it was the sound of hoof beats...familiar hoof beats.

“Poe, Rey!” Finn shouted, glancing towards the way they'd come.

Rey paused and frowned. “I hear it too. To the trees!”

Bee tugged on Finn's hand, quickly pulling him towards a set of trees with several low branches. “Climb,” Bee instructed him.

“Too many of us for those trees,” Poe frowned. “And you can't shield us all, Rey.”

Shield, Finn thought, what did Poe mean by shield?”

“We'll split up and meet back at camp,” Rey said decisively. “Bee, go with Poe, if anything happens, you can escape the easiest and get word back. Finn, you come with me.”

Finn wanted to stare blankly at her, but there was no time, and he quickly found himself scrambling up the tree, not as quick as Rey in his chain mail. He winced at the soft jangle as he saw the Sheriff himself come riding into view on his black horse. Rey pulled him further up into the branches of the great tree, and put her finger to her lips, indicating he should be silent.

At some point during their climb, Bee and Poe had vanished similarly, and Finn could only guess that they were hidden within the foliage of another tree. The trees in the D'Qar Forest were old, some several centuries old, and the leaves were thick, obscuring the view of those on the ground.

Minutes passed and Finn could hear Sheriff Hux and his men swearing down below, but they found no trace of their quarry, and the thick leaves and plants on the ground hid their tracks. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Sheriff spurred his horse away, his men following.

Rey stared down at the ground, her lips forming a thin frown before she glanced at Finn. “We will continue on to Han's,” he told him firmly. “Han can help us get to the Resistance camp. You can decide what to do from there.”

“What is the Resistance going to think of me?” Finn asked, frowning himself. “I've been with the Order since childhood.”

Rey shrugged. “Poe says you helped him escape, that is in your favor. The rest depends on you. The Resistance is not a coldhearted group, unlike your Order. If you prove yourself, they will help you.”

Seeing little else he could do, Finn, followed Rey down the tree trunk and further into the forest.

They walked for some time, at least an hour, Finn thought, though it was harder to tell the time here with the passage of the sun muted by the forest crown. Finn eyed the clearly with some misgiving as Rey started towards the traveling wagon parked there, with two steady bay horses grazing nearby on a temporary hitching post.

“This is Han's?” Finn asked as Rey approached the wagon.

“Han Solo,” Rey confirmed.

Finn knew that name. Han Solo was one of those who had fought years ago against the false King Palpatine. Rey seemed perfectly comfortable approaching the traveling home of a legend, but Finn wasn't so sure. Still, he followed Rey. Something instinctively told him that he could trust her.

“Da?” Rey called as they neared the wagon, and Finn's eyes went wide.

“Da? As in, Father?” he hissed softly to Rey.

She gave him a bemused smile. “Aye. I'm Rey Solo.”

Finn gave her a look of long suffering. “You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?” he asked.

“Didn't really think it mattered,” Rey replied.  
Any further answer she may have given was forestalled by a tall, gray haired man opening the back door of the wagon at Rey's call. He smiled as he greeted Rey with a swift hug, then looked with cool eyes at Finn. “Who's this?” he asked.

“Da, this is Finn, formerly of the First Order Guard,” Rey informed him.

A look passed between the two of them, one Finn couldn't quite read, then Han gave Finn a once over, his expression more curious than threatening. “Formerly of the First Order?” he asked.

“They raised me,” Finn found himself saying. “Took me in as a kid...but the things they do..I couldn't stay anymore.”

“He helped Poe escape,” Rey added.

Han nodded, his look measuring. “If that's the case, then we will give you a chance, Finn. But mess up, and Chewie will deal with you?”

“Chewie?” Finn asked, perplexed.

“Me,” a deep voice growled, and Finn whirled around, finding a menacing, huge, bearded man had slipped up behind him somehow without him noticing.

Finn took a deep breath, calming himself, and made himself nod. Chewie was certainly a sigh to behold, but he wasn't sure the man had scared him as much as Guard Captain Phasma. “Understood.”

Chewie seemed to take in his reaction, and smiled suddenly, demeanor going from frightening to friendly. “Oh, I think I am going to like you.”

“We need to get back to the Resistance camp, Da,” Rey told her father as they watched the exchange between Chewie and Finn. “We split apart from Bee and Poe earlier, when the Sheriff came into the outer woods.”

Han and Chewie's expressions darkened. “We may want to take the long way round, then,” Han said. “In case anyone did manage to track you.”

“I didn't sense anymore,” Rey replied.

“Just to be sure,” Han told his daughter soothingly. “Besides, I think we need to visit Maz.”

Rey frowned slightly, then shrugged. “If you say so, Da.”

“Maz?” Finn asked, glancing up at Chewie.

“Old friend,” was all Chewie said, shrugging. “Come on, you two got here just in time for dinner. Dinner, then we go to Maz's.” When Han and Rey looked ready to protest, Chewie snorted. “No sense in wasting stew.”

Han scowled faintly, and Finn had a feeling it was a fairly common expression for the man, but Rey just took it in stride.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn has an odd encounter with Maz and our party reaches the Resistance Camp

Dinner was an excellent rabbit stew, far better than the slop that Finn had been fed all his life in the Order. He remarked as such, and Rey scowled fiercely as Han shook his head. 

“Doesn't surprise me,” Han said in his gruff way. “Order's just a newer form of Vader's old guard, and they were never really treated as humans. Stick with us kid, food is better.”

After dinner dishes were in a bucket of soapy water from a nearby spring, Han and Chewie began breaking down their camp. Feeling the need to do something, Finn helped Chewie while Rey tended the horses and hitched them up to the wagon.

“How far is it to this Maz's?” Finn asked, glancing towards the fading light.

“Two hours, maybe. We'll find her and set up by her for the night,” Han replied as he and Chewie climbed up onto the wagon seat. “You and Rey settle in the back.”

“Getting dark,” Finn said, still watching the tree tops.

Han snorted. “We know where Maz is camped now and can find it in the dark, Finn, literally.” He muttered something under his breath about disbelieving kids as Finn followed Rey to the back door of the wagon and went inside. 

Inside the traveling wagon, everything was carefully stored away to prevent things from spilling or shifting while the wagon was moving. Rey took a seat on one of the chairs carefully built into the wagon while Finn sat on the floor, glancing around him, his brow creasing. “I can see Han barely fitting in here. Where does Chewie sleep?” he asked the small woman.

“Chewie always pitches a tent,” Rey replied. “He doesn't like sleeping in enclosed places.”

Finn thought back to the dark barracks he and the other guards slept in, and the narrow bunks. “He would have the Order then. Never had much space to ourselves, spent every day inside our armor. Everything was carefully controlled, strict, no sense of personal freedom. You were a spoke on a wheel.”

Rey frowned fiercely. “What a horrible way to live. Even before Da and Mama found me a few years ago, I did want I needed, or what I chose, even if it was just choosing to survive.”

It was Finn's turn to frown. “What do you mean, before your parents found you?”

Rey's eyes darkened. “I have an older brother. Years ago he broke with Da and Mama and did terrible things, almost killed our uncle. Before he disappeared, he took me with him and abandoned me far from home. I was but a girl, and Da only found me a few years ago, took me back to Mama.”

At least the Order had never abandoned him, Finn thought, but then he thought of those trainees who had fallen behind during training exercises in the countryside, how some of them disappeared after they couldn't keep up.

It sent another chill up his spine.

“If we ever find this brother of yours, I'm conking him on the head,” Finn informed her.

Rey snorted. “I will knock him out myself.”

They passed the while with conversation, comparing notes about Rey's time alone, scavenging things on the edge of the forest in a neighboring county, and Finn's time with the Order. It struck Finn that while he'd been surrounded by others his entire life, he had been just as alone as Rey.

“I haven't known you long, but I think I would like to call you friend,” Finn said at last, thinking he hadn't had many friends in his life. Maybe Slip, but even then, did Slip care that Finn had left the Order, and was now out here, somewhere deep in the D'Qar Forest?

Rey looked at him thoughtfully, then she smiled slightly. “I think, Finn, I could call you a friend. Even though you were with the Order, you made the choice to leave. That is the first of your choices, one of many, I suspect.” She leaned forward. “You have a chance, Finn, a chance some of your fellows have not gotten. You should make the most of it.”

“Aye,” Finn found himself agreeing. “You've definitely given me a lot to think about.”

He lapsed into silence, and soon enough, the wagon came to a halt. Finn glanced at Rey and she nodded, and the two of them climbed out of the wagon to help Chewie and Han set up. 

As they stepped into a small clearing (the D'Qar Forest really was endless, Finn thought), Finn found himself staring at a very colorful traveling wagon, painted in bold yellow, red, and blue, covered in carvings of flowers, vines, and all sorts of manner of plants. Han was chatting with a dark skinned woman even shorter than Rey, who wore a pair of leather frames filled with glass, carefully balanced on her nose. Finn had heard tell of such things, but he'd never actually seen a pair.

The woman turned and looked at Finn, her dark eyes boring into him, then she smiled welcomingly. “So this is the young man that escaped?” She nodded and approached Finn, taking his hand for a moment and turning his palm over. “Ah yes. You have had a difficult road, young one, and more still to go. But trust in your heart and follow your friends, and you will find the family you have always sought.”

“Family?” Finn asked slowly. “My family is dead.”

Maz shook her head, her expression faintly disapproving, but he realized it was not directed at him. “No, young Finn, they are not. Your family, at least your father, and his family, are very much alive. The Order lied about a great many things.”

She patted his hand then turned to greet Chewie. The giant man let out a rumble of a chuckle and swept Maz up, kissing her firmly on both cheeks.

Rey placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. “Come on, let's help Da set up, then we can settle by the fire for a bit before bed.” She could see Finn's mind was spinning at Maz's pronouncement. Hopefully setting up would give him some time to think.

“Thank you,” Finn managed, following Rey as she went to help Han set up.

Finn didn't have many words the rest of the evening, his mind still whirling at the thought that his family might still be alive. There was something decidedly strange about Maz, he thought, but something told him that everything she had told him was true. 

His mind was no quieter the following morning when they awoke and broke camp. Maz had evidently decided to accompany them to the Resistance camp, and Finn and Rey found themselves on Maz's wagon seat mid morning, listening as Maz told them old stories about the forest and the adventures this place had seen during the reign of the false King Palpatine and Lord Vader. 

Finn found himself drawing parallels between these old stories, ones that occurred before he was born, and Prince Kylo Ren and Sheriff Hux. History, he thought, seemed to have a habit of repeating himself. He glanced occasionally forward towards Han's wagon, thinking that if the previous generation had fought back against evil and won, perhaps, just perhaps, his generation could too.

Finn had always wondered why the Order did not venture further into the D'Qar Forest, when they suspected it of harboring the Resistance. Over the past day, as he saw even with the trail they were on, how thick the trees were, and the strange feeling of energy he'd begun to sense around the forest, he thought he now understood.

There was something about this forest, something unusual. As he glanced up at the trees, he saw Maz watching him out of the corner of his eye. When he glanced at her, she nodded approvingly.

“You feel it now,” Maz said, making it a statement. “This place protects the Resistance from the evil of the Prince and his minions, from the Sheriff. This forest knows old blood and old crimes, and the wood itself seeks to keep such from happening again.”

Finn couldn't the truth that rang in her words. “Can everyone sense it?” he asked instead.

“Some,” Maz replied calmly. “But not all. Han cannot feel it, nor can Chewie, but those they trust can feel it.” 

“I can feel it,” Rey put in from the other side of Finn. “This place is special.”

“It is a haven,” Maz confirmed. “But we shall not be able to hide in the trees forever.”

“Maybe you can help with that, Finn,” Rey suggested. “You have knowledge of the Order, the Sheriff, perhaps the Prince, that we do not. Perhaps it will help.”

Finn sat back on the wagon seat, his eyes gazing at the tree crowns above as he let Rey's words filter through his mind. He'd helped Poe because it was the right thing to do. He'd continued following Poe and Rey, because he knew it was the right thing to do.

Could he really run away now, with the evil he knew the Order was capable of, if there was a chance he might be able to help the Resistance bring them down?

When they arrived at the Resistance camp, Finn found it to be a far more complicated setup than he'd expected. The Order, the Sheriff, and the Prince all insisted that the Resistance was a simplistic group of outlaws with no real standing or complaint who maliciously harried the Order and the Good Prince and Sheriff.

There were houses and platforms built into the great trees of the D'Qar Forest, with careful rope ladders or carefully built ramps and small stairways that could be easily collapsed in case of emergency, that lead into the tree tops.

Rey and Han exchanged a look, and Han regarded the trees with resignation.

Finn waited, for it all seemed very quiet, until people began to descent from the trees, either sliding down ropes, climbing down rope ladders, or carefully maneuvering down the stairs and ramps. There was an undercurrent of welcome and mild celebration as strangers began to greet Han, Chewie, Rey, and Maz. 

It left Finn feeling a bit out of place as he watched the horde descend, as he knew no one here but his traveling companion. He hung back by Maz's wagon, wondering what they would think of an ex-Order Guard.

And then he heard a literal chirp of excitement and found himself with an arm full of familiar red haired urchin. Finn braced himself as he caught Bee and found a smile lighting up his face.

“Bee, you and Poe made it back?” Finn asked, cheering up at the prospect of seeing Poe again.

“We did!” Bee replied, giving Finn a hug before jumping onto the ground. Finn found himself grateful for the youth's greeting, because it earned him a few more friendly looks from the Resistance members surrounding him at Bee greeting him enthusiastically. “Poe is talking to our General. She'll want to speak with you, now that you're here.”

“Are you Finn?” a lanky, golden haired man suddenly appeared at Bee's side, looking at Finn with wide eyes. “Ah good, yes, the General wishes to speak with you. If you will follow me please.”

Finn glanced at Bee who shrugged. “That's Threeo, he's General Leia's assistant. Might as well see what she wants.”

“Threeo, is Mum available?” Rey asked as she joined Finn and Bee.

“Oh yes, Lady Rey,” Threeo replied in a warbling voice. “Please come with Master Finn and myself.”

Rey glanced over her shoulder at her father and Han glanced up. He gestured for Rey to go on and the young woman sighed. “I really wish Mum and Da would work out their issues,” she muttered. “But come on, Finn, you'll love Mum!”

“Your Mum is Duchess Leia Organa of Alderaan?” Finn blinked, because Leia was not a common name these days.

Rey looked a little sad. “She was, back before the Empire. She tried rebuilding Alderaan, but then the Prince and the Sheriff took over and she and her people fled here, to D'Qar, where they'd be safe. Maybe someday..” She shrugged. “Enough of history, though, Finn, let's see how we can help the present!”

Finn found himself pulled into Rey's steady determination and followed her and Threeo up a ramp towards one of the larger tree houses, Bee sticking close to Finn's heels. The presence of the youth gave him a slight confidence boost.

There was a large circular porch surrounding the treehouse, and Finn hung back on it a moment as Threeo opened the door made out of what Finn guessed was deadfall wood, and followed once Bee gave him a gentle push.

Threre was a small woman, perhaps Rey's height, with gray streaked brown hair pulled into an elaborate braid and bun, dressed in sturdy trousers, tunic, and jerkin, arms crossed over her chest as she conversed with Poe.

All other thought flickered from Finn's mind as he saw Poe's face light up when he entered the house. The man's brown eyes gave Finn a welcoming look and with two steps he was hugging Finn, and Finn was hugging him back, finding that while he'd only known this man a few hours, he wanted to count Poe as one of his few friends, with Rey, Han, Chewie, and Maz.

“You're safe, you made it back!” Poe said. “Buddy, it's so good to see you.”

“It's great to see you too, Poe!” Finn cried, pulling back from the hug but keeping his hands on Poe's shoulders. “I'm glad you and Bee made it back safely.”

“It was a bit of a run,” Poe admitted, and Finn's smile dimmed a moment before Poe rushed to reassure him, “But we're good, all in one piece.”

“More thanks to Bee than you?” Finn asked, trying for humor.

Poe smirked. “I'll have you know, Finn, I'm a hero of the Resistance.”

“Best Archer in the Resistance, I know,” Finn smirked back.

“If you boys are done bantering?” an amused female voice said. Poe and Finn immediately both looked up, flushing a little as they looked at Leia. 

The woman's eyes were crinkled in laughter as she took in their expressions, then addressed Finn. “Hello young Finn. Poe has told me a great deal about you. What you did, helping Poe escape the Sheriff, then coming here, was very brave. Thank you.”

Finn took a deep breath to steady himself as he addressed the former Duchess, a woman who had been deemed evil by the Order, but who he could sense now was far more good than “Good Prince Kylo Rene.”

“I couldn't just leave him there, ma'am,” he replied. “After what I saw that day, things I've managed to ignore, I couldn't just stand by and stay.”

“Would you be willing to help us, Finn?” Leia asked. “You don't have to. I want you to know that you have a choice. The Resistance can help you find safety elsewhere, or you can remain here.”

Choice. Everything leading up to this moment had been a choice. And Finn found that he very much wanted to stay, now, but some part of him was still worried.

“Mum, why don't we give Finn some time to think on it?” Rey suggested. “And we can speak with him again in the morning, after he's been around other members of the Resistance?”

Finn thought that might not be a bad idea. “If I may, ma'am, I think I might like to stay, but I want to know a bit more what I might be getting into?” he said.

Leia smiled. “That, Finn, is perfectly reasonable. We are deep enough in the Forest, with its protection, we should be good for a day or two. Would you like to meet in the morning, then?”

“Yes,” Finn said.

“Poe, why don't you and Bee show Finn around while I speak to my daughter?” Leia suggested.

Poe grinned and wrapped an arm around Finn's shoulders, leading him from the house and back outside. “Come on, there's so many people I want to introduce you to!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance plans their attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts

Finn spent the rest of the morning and afternoon being taken around the Resistance camp by Poe. He met Snap, Kare, Poe's best friend Jess (and, Poe confided, a girl head over heels in love with Rey), Bastian, Iolo, and many others, only half of whom Finn thought he would remember the names of. Poe's friends had evidently already heard the story of how he'd rescued Poe, and seemed inclined to welcome him.

Finn did notice that there were a few people who gave him a side eye as he followed Poe through the camp. Poe seemed to ignore it, but Bee explained to Finn that some people were wary of a former member of the Order in their midst. Poe was determined to tell them how wrong they were, but Finn appreciated Bee's honestly with him.

The fact that he wasn't universally accepted made him feel slightly better. Blind, universal acceptance could be as dangerous, Finn thought, as ignoring the ills going on around you.

By the afternoon, Finn found himself volunteering alongside Poe with some of the work that needed done in the camp. There were rope ladders to repair, arrows to fletch, a dozen other tasks that kept the Resistance running day in and day out.

These acts, Finn found, seemed far more satisfying than the turns he'd taken on sanitation or guard rotations in the jail or patrolling Orowood. These jobs weren't glorious, but they were necessary, and people pitched in willingly because they knew these tasks needed to be completed if the Resistance was to be able to function.

It also showed him how necessary even the smallest tasks were, and it got him to thinking. 

As he worked, he heard stories from many members of the Resistance about the cruelty they'd experienced at the hands of the Sheriff, the Prince, and the Order. Many had lost belongings, homes, and even family members to the cruelty of the current regime. It made Finn feel slightly guilty in some cases, and glad in others that he'd made the decision to leave.

Little things, he thought, little things are the glue that holds a group or an organization together.

That night, Finn found himself in a small treehouse, on a bunk opposite Poe, for of course the archer had offered to share his quarters. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Poe's breathing, and reflected on how it felt so different from his time in the barracks.

Order Guards moved like machines, doing exactly what they were told, terrified to step out of line. Here, in Poe's somewhat messy quarters, here in the Resistance, people laughed, cried, and got angry. Some let their emotions show, others did not.

If he could find himself a place among them, Finn thought, he would gladly stay here the rest of his life.

As he rolled out of bed early the next morning, Poe stirred, muttering at the noise, then opened one bleary eye. “Why are you already up, buddy?” he mumbled.

“It's morning, Poe,” Finn replied in an amused voice.

“Still got a bit til breakfast,” Poe muttered. “Come 'ere.”

Finn lifted a brow and went to sit on the edge of the other man's bed. He was vaguely surprised when an arm briefly snaked around his waist. “Good way to wake up though,” Poe murmured. “Near...er” he blinked as he came more away. “Friends.”

Poe's arm dropped from Finn's waist as he came fully awake, and he looked faintly flushed.

Finn blinked, his mind processing all of it for a moment. “Poe are you...”

The door swung open suddenly and a frantic Bee stood there. “Gotta meet with the General! Friar Statura's been thrown in jail, they're plannin' to execute him!”

All other thoughts fled Poe and Finn's minds as they quickly pulled on boots and tunics, and followed Bee from the tree house.

Finn found himself in Leia's house again, surrounding a large vellum of map on the floor, showing the D'Qar Forest, Orowood, and the surrounding area. Leia glanced up from the map and smiled grimly at them.

Snap, Kare, Han, Chewie, Rey, and several other members of the Resistance were in the room and glanced at Poe and Finn as Leia addressed everyone.

“We received word this morning that Friar Statura was arrested late last evening, for 'aiding and abetting outlaws,'” Leia informed them. “He refused to let the Sheriff take the poor box from the church.”

“What?” Finn demanded. “How, but...that's for the poor, not for taxes!”

A few eyes flickered curiously towards him, and the expressions on the faces of some he didn't recognize actually seemed reassured by his outburst.

“It's the Sheriff, Finn,” Leia told him wearily. “I think you can attest as well as I at his cruelty and Kylo Ren's greed.”

“Is there any way we can get the Friar out?” Rey asked.

Han glanced at Chewie. “We could try a jail break,” Han suggested. “But it's dangerous, would attract a lot of attention.”

Finn heard people begin to discuss the possibility of a jail break, how important it was to save the Friary from execution, and could they wait and save him directly and the block or did they risk a jailbreak?

Little things, Finn thought. Little things like the neglected passages he'd helped Poe escape through. Little things like lying to guards and getting them to leave so he could help Poe escape.

“Little things,” he said aloud.

“What was that?” Snap asked, his eyes focusing on Finn.

“Little things,” Finn said again. “I saw it here yesterday, how everyone chips in to keep the little things done, so the Resistance can continue functioning. The Order will spend money on itself, but not outside of itself, it will use gold to keep itself safe, but no one else.” He frowned. “Several years ago there were passages that the Sheriff ordered walled off, so they were, but the bricks and mortar haven't been maintained. That's a little thing, something that the Sheriff had done then put out of his mind. Phasma might think of it, but the Sheriff wouldn't, and only the Sheriff can order that much gold into repairs, or the Prince.”

“Are there more passages, Finn, like the ones you helped Poe escape through?” Leia demanded.

Finn found himself smiling. “Phasma might post guards to patrol some of the lower levels, but if something happened to draw them away?” He met Leia's gaze. “If we could have a distraction somewhere, that would draw most of the guards away, they might pull most of those guards off the passages. Phasma's smart, but the Sheriff is arrogant, and even she won't dare disobey a direct order.”

“We launch some kind of distraction on one side of the castle, then fade into the trees?” Rey suggested. “While a force enters the jail and frees the Friar.”

“Will you lead us to them?” Snap asked. “I've got some older maps of the castle and jail.”

“I can do that,” Finn agreed.

“Everyone gather your gear, Snap and Kare, gather our forces and prepare. Han, you and Chewie and I will help plan a distraction,” Leia told everyone. “Finn, go with Snap and examine these maps to find the best way in. Everyone is dismissed.”

As Finn followed Snap and Kare out of the house, Poe paused him and put his hands on Finn's shoulders, smiling fiercely. “Welcome to the Resistance, Finn.”

Hours later, Finn and Snap had poured over copies of old drawings of the castle, drawings, Finn guessed, had to be many years old based on the age of the parchment and how reverently Snap unrolled them from their scroll cases. The entrance they found was further down the city walls from where Poe and Finn had escaped, but still parallel to the river. There might be increased patrols there, given the escape a few days ago, but they decided it was still close enough to the forest to give them some cover until they were ready to approach the walls.

“Technically,” Snap told him, “These tunnels were built before that portion of the castle was converted into the jail. It runs more or less under and between the two areas.” He looked thoughtful. “We might be able to sneak some people in and cause some minor havoc in the castle while you help rescue the Friar.”

“Have anyone in mind?” Finn asked. 

Snap nodded. “There's a girl Rose Tico, who I think will work well, though I may send Kare in with her. They're both very good at slipping around without being noticed.”

Finn thought about the Order and the number of Guards they had, his brow furrowing. “What kind of distraction are they planning?” he asked.

“I've got that one under control,” Poe replied as he strolled over. When he smirked, Snap eyed him suspiciously.

“Am I really going to like this, Dameron?” Snap asked the other man.

“Trust me, Snap, it'll work,” Poe promised. 

Snap snorted and shot Finn a look. “When he says 'trust me,' he's planning something that will usually end up getting him into trouble. Be aware of that.” The big man stood and dusted off his pants. “We'll need to get started, it's still some hours to the castle. We're doing this under cover of dark, less Guards awake, that sort of thing.”

Finn let Poe help him to his feet. “Alright, let's go finish getting ready.”

As the members of the Resistance gathered in their respective groups, one to cause a distraction and attack, and the two to enter the castle and jail, Finn found himself standing with Han, Chewie, Rey, Maz, Kare, and a dark haired young woman named Rose. She grinned at Finn. “So you're the hero of the hour, huh?” Rose asked him, and Finn blinked.

“Not really a hero, just did what I had to do to get Poe out and to get me out,” Finn replied.

Kare clapped him on the shoulder. “And for that we're glad. I've been training Rose here for the past several months to sneak into Orowood and cause minor inconveniences for the Guards and the Sheriff. We look forward to doing the same in the castle.”

Finn glanced at Chewie and Han and Han chuckled. “Chewie, Maz, and I go way back. Back during the False King Palaptine, we blew our way into many a building with alchemy. That's what Maz is here for. She'll have some useful viles we can use to blow through the walls blocking the tunnels, if they're already in bad shape as you said they were.”

“Chewie may be a little tall for some of the passages,” Finn remarked, glancing up at the tall giant.

Chewie grumbled but shrugged. “I can always guard the escape route,” He replied. “But I'm going regardless.”

Finn nodded, deciding it was best not to argue with the bearded giant. 

Maz grinned as she adjusted two bandoleers she wore, where Finn saw she had carefully tucked a series of stoppered vials. “Mix the right things, and the doors will crumble before us,” she promised him. “Han is a good shot and will go on ahead with you and Rey. Kare and Rose will take care of planting some things in the castle. Once we get the Friar free, we can retreat the way we came, though I've extra vials in case we need to go a different way.”

Finn chewed on his lower lip and nodded. “Better safe than sorry.”

They were planning to take different routes through the forest, so that they didn't attract too much attention with a large party until they were ready too. As Finn's group was preparing to leave, Poe jogged over.

“You ready, buddy?” Poe asked.

“Ready as I'll ever be,” Finn replied. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Be careful, okay Poe? You and I can talk after all this is over.”

Poe gave him a measuring look and nodded. “Yeah, I think we should definitely talk.”

Finn hesitating a moment, then threw an arm around Poe, and Poe returned the embrace.

“Get back to me safely,” Poe whispered in Finn's ear before he disengaged.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and the Resistance rush to save the Friar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts

Finn blinked after Poe as the other man turned back to his group of archers and Resistance fighters. Maz chuckled softly as she stepped up to Finn's side. “Never expected that, did you, young man?” she asked him, regarding him through her thick glass lenses. Then he noticed the item she had in her hand: a long sword in a worn leather scabbard. “Put this on,” she instructed him.

With the small woman's help, though feeling somewhat odd about it, Finn fastened the scabbard about his shoulder, and tested the draw of the weapon over his shoulder. “Where'd you get this?” he asked with a frown.

By now Han and Rey were watching him, and Han's expression was intent.

“Is that what I think it is?” Han asked Maz.

The old woman nodded firmly. “It's time it was used again,” she replied. She glanced at Rey. “I thought once to give it to you, but I think your staff suits you better.”

Rey smiled as she hefted a metal shod quarter staff. “It does,” she agreed.

“What is it?” Finn asked, eyeing the sword hilt over his shoulder.

“It's an old sword, belonged to a friend, once,” was all Han told him. “Though I think Maz is right, he'd be glad to see someone using it again.” Han shook his head. “Enough chatter, lets go.”

Finn ended up back on the wagon seat with Maz and Rey. When he'd expressed some concern about the wagon's safety, Maz informed him that most of the Resistance forces were traveling by horse or wagon, transportation to be hidden in the forest before the attack.

Given the distance they had to cover, Finn admitted it was more practical than exhausting everyone by walking all that way. Rey assured him any number of wagons and horses passed through the forest without the Order being the wiser.

It really was a place of power, Finn thought.

Maz and Han situated their wagons a mile or two deep in the forest, and Kare and Rose stepped out of the back of Han's wagon, both looking battle ready in leathers. Finn himself was dressed now in a pair of trews and tunic, with his old chainmail settled under a leather jerkin. While it was a reminder of the Order, Leia had told him the Resistance didn't believe in wasting good resources.

A they slipped through the forest, Finn found himself staring off into the distance, wondering what kind of distraction Poe had planned as his group made their way towards another cavern similar to the one he and Poe had escaped from that, according to his memory and Snap's maps, would lead to a tunnel they could use to enter the jail and castle complex.

The river here was deeper than where he and Poe had escaped, and far closer to the castle walls, but there was, perhaps too convienantly, Finn thought, an old deadfall log crossing the expanse of the river. They crossed carefully, one at a time, Finn's eyes scanning the battlements for anyone watching.

Quite suddenly, there was a large _booming_ noise on the other side of the castle, that almost had Finn ducking for cover.

Maz was cackling softly. “I knew that boy had it in him.”

Finn eyed her, though Kare and Rose didn't seem surprised. “What was that?”

“That, my boy, was an alchemical mess,” Maz told him. “The archers and fighters had a plan to sneak a wagon into the central courtyard on the excuse that it was a shipment of wine for the Prince. There was some alcohol in there, but the rest was a specific mix of liquids designed to cause quite a big boom when lit on fire.”

“No wonder Poe was so gleeful,” Rey remarked dryly. Finn shot her a pained look.

“Well don't just stand there,” Chewie growled. “Let's get into the castle.”

They picked up the pace then, jogging to the cavern entrance and moving at a quick pace through it by torch light, until Finn found the entrance to a tunnel similar to the one he had Poe had escaped from. Sighing in resignation, Finn lead the group up through the tunnel.

Once in the tunnel, they all fell silently, the seriousness of their quest riding heavy on all their shoulders.

Finn shifted, feeling the sword riding along his back. Something about the sword stirred his memory, but he couldn't be sure why. Most of his memories were from his childhood in the Order, but this felt older. Once all of this was done, he resolved to corner Han and Maz and ask them who the original owner of the blade had been.

They crept through the tunnel some distance until they reached the clear markings of a brick wall blocking their way. If Finn recalled, they should be under the castle at this point, not far from the halls that lead from the castle to the jail. He hoped Poe and the others were safe and that their distraction held.

Maz instructed everyone to wait a ways down the tunnel, and the walls shook lightly when they heard a soft _boof_ from the wall. 

“It's safe, looks like we found our way in,” Maz reported from near the now broken pieces of brick and mortar.

They moved more quickly now as they emerged into a lower level of the castle, and Finn lead them quietly through a series of halls and up a flight of stairs. They were lucky, until they reached the underground level of the jail where most prisoners were held. 

Chewie and Han, though, made very quick work of two patrolling guards. The distraction must have been holding.

Finn grimaced as he looked at the fallen guards, and somewhat reluctantly drew the long sword, leading the way into another hall. He paused at a juncture and pointed to the left. “Rose, Kare, that's your path, it will lead you to the palace.”

Kare nodded and slipped down the hall. Rose caught Finn's arm a moment and squeezed it. “Good luck,” she said, and then she too was gone.

Finn lead them down the hall towards the jail, only to be brought up short by a silver plate clad figure standing in their way.

Phasma stood, her voice ringing from beneath her helm.

“FN. I see you have decided to return. You are too late, however, to save the Friar.”

Finn found himself wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his blade, giving her a steely brown glare. “Where is he?”

“That will be no concern of yours,” Phasma replied. “You will be taken into custody.”

Finn's eyes flashed. “You will take me to the Friar,” he said between clenched teeth.

“And if you don't, you'll deal with me,” Rey added, stepping up with her staff. “Take us there.”

“You are being foolish, FN,” Phasma replied. “Give yourself up or deal with the consequences.”

Finn heard the steely ring of Phasma pulling free her short sword. It felt as if everything slowed as he saw the blade come up, and he moved his long sword to parry the blade aside, moving the larger blade forward in a swing that forced Guard Captain Phasma back with it's force. 

Finn saw Rey moving from the corner of his eye and found a grin tugging at his lips as he parried the Guard Captain's next swing, forcing her backwards with each parry and riposte. Then Rey's shadow moved behind Phasma, and there was a solid ringing sound as the end of Rey's metal shod staff hit the back of Phasma's helmet and the Guard Captain went down like a sack of flour.

“Chewie and I will throw her in a cell,” Han told they. “Go and find the Friar!”

Finn and Rey raced through the halls, Finn leading the way by memory, with Maz close at their heels. The halls seemed eeriely free of guards, until they reached a side entrance to the throne room, and burst through.

Friar Statura knelt on the ground, glaring defiantly at Prince Kylo Ren himself, Sheriff Hux only steps behind, as Kylo smirked at the Friar. “Your friends will merely die in their distraction. I had hoped for the satisfaction of killing you publicly, but privately will have to do.”

“Big words for a coward,” Rey shouted as she clamored into the room only a step behind Finn.

Prince Kylo spun, his dark eyes flashing in anger as he glared at Finn and Rey, but it was Finn he zeroed in on. 

“YOU!” Ren snarled.

Finn felt a sense of confusion, and anger, whirling in his mind as he glared at the Prince. He had little time to think about those emotions, though, as the tall, black haired man seemed to shoot through the distance between them, wielding a wickedly edged long sword. 

Finn reacted without thinking, parrying the blade moments before Ren could strike him. 

“You will not have my throne!” Ren hissed, pressing forward.

Later, Finn wouldn't remember much of the battle, save for the ringing of steel and the low hiss of confusing words issued from Prince Kylo Ren's lips, almost drowned out by the ringing of blood in Finn's ears. Guards, while trained with blades, weren't given the same amount of training that the Prince had been given, and Finn found himself much on the defensive, even as he was aware of Rey launching herself at a surprised Sheriff Hux.

Finn ducked around the throne, narrowly avoiding another strike of Ren's sword as Rey neatly clobbered Hux with her staff and left the man lying unconscious with a large welt on his head on the floor. Finn caught Kylo's wrist with his blade, forcing the man back, before Kylo moved to strike at Rey's exposed back as she downed Hux. 

Finn move instinctively to intercept Kylo's blade, bringing his up to block it. The blade bounced off Finn's own, but then the Prince twisted his hands, and Finn felt white hot pain as Kylo caught the unprotected portion between his neck and shoulder.

Warm blood trickled down his skin and began soaking his shirt as blackness took him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A final confrontation, a resolution, and a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts

Rey whirled as she heard Finn's cry and saw her friend falling.

Her hazel eyes flared and she moved hawk fast to grab the blade from Finn's falling hand bringing it round to meet Kylo Ren's next strike.

“You always were a coward,” Rey snarled at her elder brother.

“You were always a brat,” Ren hissed.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rey was aware of Maz as she pushed Kylo Ren away from Finn, further back, and that the woman was tending young man's jagged wound, and could only hope that Maz's old magic might save her friend as she turned her attention to a brother she hadn't seen in well over a decade.

“Why did you do it?” Rey demanded as she and Ren engaged in a duel there in the throne room.

“Our Uncle was wrong,” Ren replied grimly. “He never understood the power and order that King Palpatine tried to bring to our country.”

“Murder and misery is more like it,” Rey replied. “Mother and Father still mourn for you, you know.”

“They're fools,” Ren replied. 

Rey found resolve settling in heart, a kind of weary resignation a woman of nineteen should not have to face. She knew her parents would still try and save her brother.

She also knew they could not.

She centered herself as her uncle had taught her before he'd vanished, before her brother had, at sixteen, had her kidnapped away from their family, before her mother and father had mourned the loss of Ben Organa Solo.

As her brother rushed forward in his anger, she sidestepped his attack, and with the great blade almost as large as she, she spun, neatly lifting it and thrusting the point forward, catching her brother through the ribs.

“Noooo,” the words gurgled from his lips as he fell forward, and then she pushed him off, and the former Prince Kylo Ren slid to the flood.

She whirled quickly to Finn, tossing the hated blade away and went to her knees beside her friend.

Maz lifted her eyes, as a strange green light flowed form the old woman's fingers. The blood flow stopped, leaving a jagged scar it its wake, as Maz lifted her gaze to Rey's tear filled eyes.

“He will live, my dear. I have staunched the blood flow, but he will not awaken immediately.”

She glanced up as Han and Chewie burst through the doorway. Han's sad eyes went first to the fallen body of his son, and then to his daughter.

Rey met her father's eyes, tears sliding from her own.

Han gave a sigh. “What must be done.”

At that, Rey let herself be swept into her father's arms, and wept.

Finn awoke to the low light of a candle flickering on an unfamiliar bedside.

He remembered Rey; he remembered Ren; he remembered pain.

Now he lay with soft sheets against his skin, in some sort of night shirt, in a darkened room.

Movement caught his attention, and the soft laughter of Maz. “So you've decided to join us again, young man,” the old woman said, peering at him through her glass lenses.

“What happened?” Finn asked, his throat dry and scratchy. 

Maz handed him a small cup of water, helping him drink, before she pushed him back onto pillows and spoke.

“You took a hit meant for Lady Rey, and she in turn killed her brother,” Maz said calmly.

Finn's eyes went round as saucers. “Brother?” he hissed softly.

Maz nodded, her gaze sad for a moment. “Long ago, when King Luke Skywalker still ruled, Prince Kylo Ren was Lord Ben Organa Solo, son and heir of Duchess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Then something happened, to Ben, in his teen years. His younger sister vanished, kidnapped, we discovered later, at her brother's behest. The King and his sister the Duchess grieved the loss of young Breya. Years later, the King was ambushed and presumed killed on a journey to another kingdom. Prince Kylo took the throne, claiming it for himself, but he could not be crowned as King until the King's death was truly confirmed.”

“There's more?” Finn asked quietly.

“There is,” Maz told him. “But that will wait. You need more rest, young man. It is early morning, and your friend Poe is here only because I forced him to go and sleep.”

“Rey?”

“Safe,” Maz assured him. “Now rest. The healing I did on you uses much of the body's own energy.”

Rest Finn did, and when he awoke again, Poe was there, slumped in a chair, light pouring in from one of the narrow windows.

Finn managed to sit up part way, and get the cup that Maz must have left on the bedside table for him. He muttered as pain prickled down his back, waking Poe.

The man's brown eyes fluttered open and he looked relieved when he saw Finn was awake. “Finn, buddy, hold on.” He helped Finn lift the cup to his lips and drink the cool water, then set the cup aside as Finn fell back onto the pillows again.

“Maz said it may be a few days before you really feel better,” Poe told him, his eyes holding concern. “You were lucky, she said, a few inches to the left and...” His words trailed off.

“Thank you,” Finn said as he regarded Poe. “Are you..okay?”

Poe seemed to understand Finn was asking more than just about his present state. “There was a big fight, in the courtyard,” Poe admitted. “I was on the battlements, caught a number of guards with arrows, ones that didn't get caught in the blast. Had a few close calls, we...lost a couple, but most everyone is alive.”

Finn sighed. “Rey, Han, Chewie?”

“They're here, at the castle,” Poe replied. “Buried Kylo...Ben, quietly. Leia is keeping an eye on things as a proper Regent until someone can confirm what happened to her brother.” He leaned forward. “We threw Hux in a cell, but somehow he's vanished. Leia and Maz say there's magic at work. But the Prince is dead, a proper relative of the King is Regent, and they're returning a lot of the taxes that were wrongfully taken. Phasma's giving up a lot of information. Guards are being dealt with, a lot of them relieved from duty.” His brows creased. “Leia wants to have a ceremony, thanking you.”

“I,” Finn blinked. “I'd be honored.”

Poe smiled. “You deserve it, Finn. You saved me, saved the Friar, helped defeat Kylo Ren. You're a hero Finn!”

He reached out, taking Finn's hand in his own, and squeezed it. Finn eyed Poe's hand a moment, finding his fingers entwining with Poe, and asked softly, as he had meant to days before, “Poe...are you attracted to me?”

Poe blinked, flushed, and looked away a moment.

“Well, buddy,” he began. He sighed, and met Finn's gaze. “I think I'm kind of falling for you. Have been since you took off your helmet and saved me.”

Finn found himself smiling, and as he squeezed Poe's hand, a slow, answering smile flickered over Poe's lips. “Well, Poe, I like you too.”

Relief, and something akin to joy, spread through Poe's eyes. “Think you might stay with the Resistance?” he asked, leaning a little further forward.

“I think I could be persuaded too,” Finn said softly. He pushed himself up, ever so slightly, as he could without a stab of pain, as Poe leaned forward. There, in the flickering afternoon light, their lips met, and both men smiled.

Oh yes, Finn thought, I can see myself staying.

Days later, Finn knelt in the open courtyard of the castle, with members of not just the nobility, but citizens of Orowood as well, gathered as Regent Duchess Leia Organa stood before the crowd, holding the blade that Finn, and later Rey, and wielded days before.

“Let all who are gathered here know of the bravery of this man, Finn,” Leia's voice rang through the courtyard. “Hero to the Resistance, Hero to the people of Orowood, and one of those who stood against the cruelty of the former Kylo Ren and Sheriff Hux, and did what was right.”

No one mentioned that Kylo Ren had once been Duchess Organa's son, Finn wondered if they ever would.

“For your bravery, I dub thee, Sir Finn,” Leia declared. “Rise and stand with your fellow knights. And wield this ancient blade, once belonging to the rightful King, King Luke Skywalker, with honor.”

Poe was there, with Snap, Kare, Jess, Iolo, and Bastian. Rey, or Lady Breya Organa Solo, stood a few steps behind her mother, and Han stood a few steps behind his wife.

As Finn began to rise, another voice rang through the courtyard, as a gray haired man flung a hood from his face, and began moving towards the raised platform.

Shock ran through the crowd, and no one stood in the man's way as he moved to the stairs and climbed them.

“Not Sir Finn, dear sister, but Prince Finn,” the man cried. “Long thought loss, but evidently hidden under our gaze this entire time.”

“Majesty!” Leia cried in a voice caught between joy and surprise, and curtsied to her brother, as the crowd stood frozen in awe. “How?”

“Minions of an old enemy thought me dead,” King Luke Skywalker replied. “And for many years I was held captive in another country, under the machinations of a foul sorcerer. But now I stand, finding my kingdom free of the influences of Kylo Ren, and my son, whom I thought dead, alive.”

Finn found himself stilled by shock as he stared at the gray haired and bearded form of the King. Son? He thought, I am the King's son?

But memories, long buried, began to fill his mind, as if a blanket had been pulled off them. A kind eyed man craddling him, and a beautiful, dark skinned woman holding him to her shoulder.

“Father?” Finn said, finally finding his voice.

“My son,” Luke Skywalker replied, opening his arms, and Finn could see tears openly streaming down the man's face.

He took two steps, three, and then embraced his father before the crowd, and felt his father's arms tight around him.

All those years he had wondered about his family, and they'd been around him for the past few days, weeks.

He was aware of a dull thrum, the crowd cheering around him, and Poe's eyes bright with happy tears, as Finn was reunited with his father and his family.

Hours later, his head spinning, Poe found him on the battlements. Gently, Poe put an arm around Finn's shoulders, and Finn let himself turn his head into Poe's neck.

“A prince,” he said in a low voice of wonder.

Poe chuckled softly. “I knew there was something remarkable about you, though I didn't quite expect this.” There was a note of uncertainty in his voice, and Finn pulled his head up, looking at Poe.

“Are you alright with it?” Finn asked quietly.

Poe gave a watery laugh. “You would ask that, always worried about others, even when you couldn't admit it.” He sighed. “Are you okay with me just being a Knight?”

“I'm okay with it, I was okay with it when I was just a former Guard,” Finn snorted. “I want to get to know you better, Poe, as long as you still want to know me.”

“Always, Finn,” Poe admitted. 

Finn wrapped his arms around Poe then, and let himself hold the man he knew he was falling in love with, even after just a few days. There was a strange future ahead of him, as a Prince, as the heir and son of Luke Skywalker, but he knew with his friends', his family's, and his heart's support, he would manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QianLan, I hope you enjoyed this little foray into a Robin Hood inspired AU with Finn and Poe!


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